Sharks Add Ryan Miller, Thomas Vanek, Three Others to Staff

The San Jose Sharks have added a couple familiar faces to their hockey operations.

The Sharks announced five hirings today, Jack Anderson (Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach), Jaren Burke (Amateur Scout, Ontario), Igor Eronko (Amateur Scout, Russia), Ryan Miller (Goalie Scout/Goaltending Development), and Thomas Vanek (Amateur Scout, Minnesota).

Miller won 391 games over 18 seasons with the Buffalo Sabres, St. Louis Blues, Vancouver Canucks, and Anaheim Ducks.

According to the San Jose Sharks’ press release, “Miller will scout draft-eligible goaltenders as the Sharks goalie scout, and also assist Director [of] Goaltending Evgeni Nabokov in the organization’s development of the goaltending prospects and players.”

Miller played with GM Mike Grier on the Sabres. Director of player development Todd Marchant probably knows him well too – both were part of the Ducks organization at the same time, Miller as a player and Marchant in the same capacity.

Miller retired in 2021 and this is his first official NHL job.

Vanek scored 373 goals over 14 seasons with the Buffalo Sabres, New York Islanders, Montreal Canadiens, Detroit Red Wings, Florida Panthers, Vancouver Canucks, and Columbus Blue Jackets.

Grier and Miller both played with Vanek in Buffalo.

Vanek retired in 2019 and this is his first official NHL job.

Anderson, per the press release, “will assist Director of Strength and Conditioning Steven DiLustro in tracking player fitness, collecting on-ice skating data, and off-ice workout and regeneration sessions during the season.”

He was also part of the Washington Capitals as a seasonal strength and conditioning coach from 2014 to 2018.

Burke, not believed to be related to San Jose Sharks scouting legend Tim Burke, played at RPI and Queen’s University from 2017 to 2022. Burke also spent a season with the Toronto Maple Leafs as the club’s management development associate.

Eronko, formerly a prominent NHL/KHL reporter, has been Avangard Omsk’s assistant general manager for the last three years.